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Palestinian Presidency to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Laud the ‘Historic’ Saudi Position

A street in Rafa crowded with displaced Palestinians (AFP)
A street in Rafa crowded with displaced Palestinians (AFP)
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Palestinian Presidency to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Laud the ‘Historic’ Saudi Position

A street in Rafa crowded with displaced Palestinians (AFP)
A street in Rafa crowded with displaced Palestinians (AFP)

The Palestinian presidency hailed Saudi Arabia’s supporting position and welcomed the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry calling for the recognition of a Palestinian State.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said the Palestinian leadership is confident in Saudi Arabia and its “historic decisions,” announcing that the two sides continue to communicate and coordinate efforts regarding the current developments, namely to stop the aggression in Gaza.
Abu Rudeineh told Asharq Al-Awsat that the efforts aim to deal with the repercussions and find political solutions based on the Arab Peace Initiative and Security Council resolutions that affirm the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He stressed that the Palestinian Authority welcomed the Saudi public position issued on Wednesday.
The spokesman noted that the Saudi leadership has always emphasized the Palestinian rights, and Riyadh has never hesitated in supporting the Palestinian cause, “we have confidence in Riyadh and its positions”, he stated.
Abu Rudeineh praised Saudi Arabia’s “precise” and clear position, emphasizing the priority of establishing a Palestinian state before establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
Riyadh has always emphasized its position regarding the Palestinian cause since it issued the Arab Peace Initiative, which is considered the most valuable thing, and it is the only way to establish a Palestinian state, said Abu Rudeineh.
He explained that the Palestinian Authority consistently reiterated this position with world leaders, most recently during the meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah.
Abbas stressed the need to stop the aggression against Gaza and establish a Palestinian state and praised Saudi Arabia’s positions.
Abu Rudeineh expressed the Palestinians’ reassurance of the Saudi position regarding Riyadh’s efforts at the Arab and international levels.
- Riyadh meeting
Meanwhile, Riyadh hosted a consultative ministerial meeting Thursday and discussed the regional developments, most notably in Gaza Strip and its surroundings, and the efforts made to deal with the security and humanitarian repercussions.
The Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry participated in the Arab ministerial meeting.
The meeting was attended by Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, and Palestine’s Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Minister of Civil Affairs of Palestine Hussein al-Sheikh.
- Bin Farhan, Blinken
Furthermore, on Thursday, Prince Faisal received a phone call from Blinken. They discussed the latest developments in the region, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

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PMF Demands Immediate Withdrawal of US Forces from Iraq

Supporters and members of Iraq's PMF wave flags as they march in Baghdad to condemn a US air strike in the south of the capital that killed four members of the Hashed, on July 31, 2024. (AFP)
Supporters and members of Iraq's PMF wave flags as they march in Baghdad to condemn a US air strike in the south of the capital that killed four members of the Hashed, on July 31, 2024. (AFP)
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PMF Demands Immediate Withdrawal of US Forces from Iraq

Supporters and members of Iraq's PMF wave flags as they march in Baghdad to condemn a US air strike in the south of the capital that killed four members of the Hashed, on July 31, 2024. (AFP)
Supporters and members of Iraq's PMF wave flags as they march in Baghdad to condemn a US air strike in the south of the capital that killed four members of the Hashed, on July 31, 2024. (AFP)

The Iran-backed Popular Mobilizations Forces (PMF) demanded on Wednesday the "immediate" withdrawal of American forces from Iraq in wake of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the US strike on Iraqi armed factions south of Baghdad.

Iraqi police and medical sources said the strike inside a base south of Baghdad used by the PMF killed four members of the group that contains several Iran-aligned armed militias, and wounded four others.

US officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the United States carried out an airstrike in Musayib, located in Babil province, but did not provide more details on the location.

The officials added that the strike targeted militants that the US deemed were looking to launch drones and posed a threat to US and coalition forces. The officials did not comment on any casualties.

"This action underscores the United States' commitment to the safety and security of our personnel," one of the officials said.

Iraq condemned the strike saying the US-led military coalition committed a "heinous crime" by targeting security sites south of Baghdad and said the attacks were a serious violation of the coalition's mission and mandate, an Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement.

In a statement on Wednesday, the PMF said the US attack was a "hostile act" against the forces, "demanding that we do what is necessary in our national duty to defend Iraq’s dignity and sovereignty."

It also called for a decision to be taken on the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.

Haniyeh’s assassination, it went on to say, shows that "enemies are plotting to ignite the region and expand the war" on Gaza.

It stressed that Haniyeh’s "blood won’t go to waste," adding that he had dedicated his life to the liberation of Palestine.

"The cowardly assassination will only make the honorable resistance fighters only more determined to continue their jihad," it added.

‘Gates of Hell’

Meanwhile, leader of the pro-Iran Nujaba movement Akram al-Kaabi said: "The Americans and Zionists have opened the gates of Hell after Haniyeh’s assassination, the reckless strike on the southern Beirut suburbs, and the deceitful American strike against fighters in Iraq."

"These assassinations will make the resistance more determined," he said in a post on the X platform.

The Nujaba and other pro-Iran factions had been launching attacks against American forces in Iraq in wake of the eruption of the war on Gaza. The Nujaba announced a truce in February, before recently saying that it was ending it.

Kaabi had described the truce at the time as "the calm before the storm."

Govt recommendations

Former Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi warned that attacks on the PMF "undermine relations between Washington and Baghdad."

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chaired on Wednesday a meeting of military and security leaderships.

A government statement said he was briefed on the security developments and the possible fallout of the regional escalation.

Sudani made a number of recommendations to the forces, added the statement without elaborating.